Govt. to mobilise Rs.10,900 cr. this year

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, AUG. 15. The Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, has set before his administration a new goal and a perspective, that of building a Karnataka of the future instead of being concerned over routine administration and meeting the day-to-day needs of the people.

Mr. Krishna unveiled the vision of the Government after unfurling the National Flag to mark the Independence Day celebrations at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground here. In his 16-page prepared address in Kannada, the Chief Minister said he wanted to address himself to the question as to what Karnataka should be in the next five to 10 years. The programmes to be implemented by the Government should be able to meet the requirements of the coming generation.

Keeping political polemics aside, he thanked the Opposition parties and the people for cooperating with the Government. He also acknowledged the fact that all the prime ministers, including Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, had implemented programmes with a foresight and strove for progress of the country.

One of the few announcements made by Mr. Krishna was the decision to formulate an interim plan on State finances which would pave the way for reorganisation of the State's financial set-up and usher in reforms. Though the State's financial position was not rosy, it was not facing a crisis either. The Government wanted to mobilise resources to the tune of Rs.10,900 crores this year as against Rs.9,200 crores last year. Mr. Krishna, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said the Government was determined to cut non-plan expenditure. He made it clear that inefficient and incompetent government employees would be retired from service and excess or unwanted posts in the Government would be abolished.

The State's Annual Plan had been fixed at Rs.8,538 crores and, despite the adverse weather conditions, the required revenue would be raised and all the Plan schemes would be implemented. He admitted that urban areas, including Bangalore, were receiving priority. At the same time, efforts were being made to avoid glaring differences between urban and rural areas. The Government was laying emphasis on providing basic amenities to rural people and improving their standard of living.

A ``Taluk Package'' was being formulated to improve the district and taluk roads with a World Bank assistance of $ 610 millions.

The Chief Minister said the Government had taken note of the fact that some areas in Bagalkot town had been inundated this year on account of larger storage in the Alamatti Dam across the Krishna. There was also the paradox of some parts of Bagalkot district facing drought. Besides providing relief to the people whose property had been inundated, efforts were on to see that the excess water was drained.

An announcement he made on the irrigation front was that the Kunigal-Tumkur segment of Hemavathi Canal system would be completed and water would flow through it this year. So far, the commissioning of the Hemavathi Project had been tardy and the Government was taking steps to speed up the construction.

On drought, Mr. Krishna said that it had cast a shadow on the Independence Day celebrations. It had come in the way of the people benefiting from the various development programmes taken up by the Government.

On the contentious issue of mining by the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd., Mr. Krishna was for a balanced approach. The Government could not ignore the opposition to the project on the ground of damage to the ecology of the area. At the same time, it had to keep in mind the fact that the company was providing jobs to thousands of people. The Government would take a firm decision soon.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Independence day celebrated with patriotic fervour
Next     : Cost increases four-fold due to inordinate delay